Indonesian Ferry Carrying 243 Sinks In Java Sea Leaving One Dead And 140 Missing

One person died and 140 are missing after the ferry Virgo Transport 8 lost contact with its operator in the Java Sea. 103 of the 243 people have been evacuated so far. Indonesian search and rescue teams are actively looking for the missing ones.

The Indonesian flagged vessel sailed from Surabaya in East Java on Saturday afternoon. It was bound for Banjarmasin, the South Kalimantan port city on Borneo. The vessel encountered heavy seas overnight and lost contact with its operator “PT Virgo” at around 2am local time (WITA) on Sunday. Before losing the communication, the ship’s captain had reported that the vessel was tilting.

The ferry was reported to be carrying 57 crew and 59 adult passengers, along with one child.

Rescue ships and a helicopter started search at the vessel’s last known position, about 80 nautical miles (150km) from Banjarmasin. Waves as high as 2.5 metres restricted search and rescue efforts.

Commercial vessels in the area joined the effort as one vessel, “MV Haida,” recovered 49 survivors, whereas “Mauhaw IX” picked up 15 more, along with one body.

The reason for the sinking of the ferry has not been confirmed. An investigation is underway as authorities examine the weather and possible technical failure.

The Virgo Transport 8 was built in 1987 at the Shin Kurushima Onishi shipyard in Japan. The 39-year-old Passenger/Ro-Ro Cargo Ship previously sailed as Ferry Kurushima before entering Indonesian waters.

Ferries are the backbone of transport in Indonesia’s more than 17000 islands, where sea routes are often cheaper and more accessible than flights.

Reference: NDTV , Aljazeera